Oleksandr Turchynov: regime is trying to break Yulia Tymoshenko by going after her family

Oleksandr Turchynov, first deputy head...

Politics

10:21, 27 October 2011

Oleksandr Turchynov, first deputy head of the Batkivshchyna Party, says the government is planning to have the Shevchenkivsky District Court of Kyiv at the end of this week overturn the court ruling from January 2001 closing the criminal case against Yulia Tymoshenko and members of her family involving United Energy Systems of Ukraine (UESU), according to the Official web site of Yulia Tymoshenko.

"In order to try to psychologically influence our leader, to try to break Yulia Tymoshenko’s will, they are trying to illegally reopen criminal cases against her relatives and closest associates. There is no legal subtext to these charges. There is only one goal – to compromise, abuse and break," Oleksandr Turchynov said at a briefing today.

Turchynov pointed out that according to Ukrainian law, the Prosecutor General’s Office (PGO) should have appealed the court’s ruling within seven days after it was announced. "Hearings in the attempt to cancel previous court rulings may begin as soon as this Friday at the Shevchenkivsky court. The law gives seven days to lodge an appeal. The Prosecutor General’s Office needed seven years," he added.

The authorities want to reopen the criminal case against Yulia Tymoshenko’s husband Oleksandr and his 75-year-old father Hennadiy Tymoshenko, who suffered two strokes while being illegally held in custody and was released an invalid. "It’s impossible to find any sense to these actions other than the desire to destroy the leader of the opposition, to break Yulia Tymoshenko," Turchynov believes.

Serhiy Vlasenko, the ex-premier’s lawyer, drew attention to the fact that the PGO claims its decision is motivated by rulings by American and Russian courts, but on March 10, 2004, the US District Court for the Northern District of California dismissed all charges related to UESU.

"There has been nothing new in the American cases since 2004. Any claims about new information from America area blatant lies," Vlasenko said.

He also pointed out that the Supreme Court of Russia overthrew all prior court rulings in the case against General Georgiy Oleynik on the grounds that no crimes were committed by the army general. "The copy of this court decision was attached to the "gas case" file, so Prosecutor General Pshonka couldn’t have not known about it. By saying there is new information in the Oleynik case he is twisting information and disinforming Ukrainian society," he said.

Vlasenko also recalled that the Supreme Court of Ukraine on November 11, 2005, while Yulia Tymoshenko was an opposition politician, during a joint session of two chambers – the criminal and military panel – ruled that the decision by the Shevchenkivsky District Court of Kyiv closing all the criminal cases was legal. "These resolutions were adopted in compliance with criminal procedure law, competent authorities and officials, entered into force and are binding. This was the position of two chambers of the Supreme Court of Ukraine," he said.

"All the cases against Tymoshenko were closed legally and upheld by the Supreme Court of Ukraine. The regime, understanding that they can’t break Yulia Tymoshenko, are trying to transfer this aggression to her relatives," he added.

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